1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to apparatuses and methods for handling paper and particularly to an automated teller machine (ATM) that handles bills, some of which have folds.
2. Description of the Related Art
When a great number of bills are handled by an ATM, some of which have folds, these folds may hook another bill, resulting in a double bill transfer and making bill transfer unstable. Thus, folded bills are one of the causes that affect the operation of ATMs. To avoid the double bill transfer, common practice is that when an ATM detects folded bills among the bills the user inserted into the ATM, the ATM returns those folded bills to the user without letting them in the ATM.
The handling of folded bills is disclosed, for example, in PCT WO 2004/022465 (PCT/JP2002/008813). In the bill handling apparatus there, if a fold of a bill found during corner fold judgment operation is located at a corner of the bill that is unlikely to cause any double bill transfer upon subsequent bill transfer, that bill is stored in the reusable bill cartridge of the apparatus without being returned to the user.
Also, JP-A-2007-18170, discloses a bill handling apparatus in which if the apparatus finds folded bills among the bills the user deposits, those folded bills are returned to the user. The folded bills are unfolded by the apparatus prompting the user to unfold and straighten the folded bills and deposit them again.
In ATM deposit transaction, when folded bills are returned to the user, the user needs to unfold and straighten the folded bills one by one, which is quite time consuming. In addition, the operating time of the ATM for the user further increases when the user has to deposit the straightened bills. Thus, when folded bills are found, returning all of the folded bills to the user impairs convenience for the user and also reduces the operating rate of the ATM.